There are few things capable of getting an office full of hard-working hacks (oh yes we are!) to down tools en masse. The boss distributing Lai See packets or a disaster unfolding live on television might do the trick; the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 definitely did. People who had gone unintroduced for years were rubbing shoulders, giggling like schoolboys as the toy took to the air.
The drone is a remote-controlled helicopter, or quadricopter, as the maker likes to call it, operated via Wi-fi, with a smartphone as the control unit. The device records pictures and video with two cameras; one that points forward, one downwards. This is a toy for the biggest of boys.
The manufacturers must have anticipated that, because the drone is robust and comes with a foam exoskeleton capable of withstanding a crash ... or many. One other thing that is helpful to know at the outset is that, if you take your fingers off the controls, the device stops and hovers.
A second, less-protective hull is included for outdoor use and the craft has a range of at least 50 metres.
It is totally impractical for cramped Hong Kong, of course, but we've no doubt the drone will be a big seller for Toys 'R' Us, HMV, the Apple online store, Nobletime and other retailers.
